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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29936766">Taut</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thiebes/pseuds/Thiebes'>Thiebes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Sails</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Canon Disabled Character, Caretaking, Chronic Pain, Deep Tissue Massage, Exhaustion, M/M, Overworking, Sensual Teasing, Sexy Massage, Stress Relief, emotional dependency, sensual touching, silverflint, this started as a nice hurt/comfort and turned into porn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:01:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29936766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thiebes/pseuds/Thiebes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Silver did not make it to dinner. </p>
<p>He awoke with a jolt to a dark room. How did  he get on the floor?  He didn't remember sinking down any more than he remembers falling asleep. The noise outside his door had faded, only a few distant laughs punctuated  the sound of crickets in the night.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Flint | James McGraw/John Silver</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Taut</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I am not a massage therapist. I am merely going off of personal experience,  so if i make any egregious mistakes, feel free to let me know! </p>
<p>Also this is my first stab at actual smut. Please be gentle with me. &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>John Silver was starting to accept that pain was a permanent part of his existence. He had spent so much of the time his leg was healing simply pushing through the pain to the next moment. He hadn’t spared a thought as to whether he would ever be free of it. Howell kept using the phrase “when it heals,” like the pain he felt every day was only temporary. And indeed it had lessened somewhat, once Silver stopped being as stubborn with the peg. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But as the days passed, the pain continued, and Silver absorbed its presence into his gait so successfully that he sometimes forgot that it wasn’t supposed to be there. The pain was part of him now. He wore it as easily as he wore the title of cook, of pirate, of king. And that was, of course, with great difficulty. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The left leg aches and stings when he uses the peg, his shoulder tightens with the crutch. In both scenarios his right knee twinges with the extra load. His lower back is taut, painfully so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lumbering steps are his only option now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At night, the rolling aches spread over his limbs in waves. Even with the benefit of the cot, he can’t get his body to relax. It’s not overtly painful, just enough pressure to keep him in perpetual discomfort.  He turns endlessly in his cot, never finding relief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver closes the door and leans against  it. Finally, finally, a barrier between him and all the noise of the day. He was so tired. His leg was tingling, little sparks of pain shooting up his spine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a second to just breathe. To feel the air around him and take in the silence. No men vying for his attention at the moment, no polite greetings, no expectations. He could simply exist. Just him and the unending ache of his stump. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He let his face fall and his jaw unclench. It does nothing to relieve the tension headache that’s been brewing all afternoon. He closes his eyes against the golden rays of the sun that slip through the cracks in the windowpane. The sun is setting, painting the sky and everything under it with a swathe of orange. He drinks in the warmth  of it, letting the light hit his face. He could sink into nothingness, let the swirl of thoughts dissipate. The din recedes slowly, getting ever quieter till there is nothing at all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He awoke with a jolt to a dark room. How did  he get on the floor?  He didn't remember sinking down any more than he remembers falling asleep. The noise outside his door had faded, only a few distant laughs punctuated  the sound of crickets in the night. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His body felt heavy. He couldn't  feel his ass. His good leg had fallen asleep and was prickling. He unbuckled the peg and tried not to yelp as he tugged it off his aching stump. He throws it across the room. He will have to make his way into the cot soon, unless he wants to wake up the next morning with aching joints.</span>
  <em>
    <span> If </span>
  </em>
  <span>he can lift himself off of the floor. He is not sure he will ever be rid of this anger at his own body for being this pathetic. A King, indeed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He grits his teeth as he swivels his body onto his good knee, sending a new wave of pin pricks all over, and begins to crawl over to the cot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>- </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver never made it to dinner. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not terribly unusual for the quartermaster to skip out on meals, but Silver's eyes had been a bit vacant today. He wondered if Silver had found his way to Madi’s quarters tonight. But then he saw Madi in the dining hall by the fire, smiling and talking, and he glanced around for a glimpse of those wild curls. No such luck. He must have retired for the night. He fills a bowl with the night’s dinner and heads over to Silver’s hut. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint raps gently on the door with his knuckle. No answer. He could just leave the bowl on the table and let his quartermaster get some rest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He nudges the door open and slips inside. Silver is  asleep on the floor, one arm extended reaching for the cot.  As if he had been crawling on the floor to reach it. Flint's insides go cold for a moment. He drops the bowl and bends down to flip Silver over, checking for wounds. It’s not likely for anyone to try to harm him on this island, not when the alliance is so tenuous. But it’s not impossible that someone would hold a grudge and act on it. He hoped against it, for there would be dire consequences, political or otherwise, if that were the case. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But there were no signs of blood or injury on Silver’s body. Just a tired, sleep-addled pirate looking blearily up at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Captain,” he says softly.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened?” Flint can’t mask the urgency in his voice, nor still his rapid heartbeat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fell asleep.”  He braces silver against his chest, lifting him to sit on the cot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“On the floor?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhhh.” He winces, delicately rubbing a spot above his knee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You're overdoing it again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I'm fine,” Silver bites with a clenched jaw. “I'm just tired.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint is back with the bowl of food. “You need to eat,” shoving the bowl into Silver’s  hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We will skip training for tomorrow.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The hut is quiet while Silver eats. He tilts his head this way and that, rolling his shoulders. Flint regards him carefully. His movements are stiff. He looks tense. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How is your body adjusting to the crutch?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well enough.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me see.” Flint places his hands on Silver's  shoulders, squeezing lightly. He tests the pliancy of the muscles under the skin. The left side is tense, with no give. He can feel Silver's wince through the touch. He runs his hand over Silver's back and neck in small circles, finding the knots in the taut muscle. Silver closes his eyes and breathes out a long exhale, relaxing under Flint's hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn't say how he had yearned for this. How he had imagined what those rough hands would feel like all over his body, in a different context. Even the rough touches he had felt in the past were a blessing. He remembered Flint's grip as he pressed him against the rocks at the wrecks, and again in the hull of the warship. His body had felt the heat of those fingers on him for days afterward. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And now, he lived for moments like this. He spent so much of his time  these days thinking of Flint,  speaking of him. It was like he had been consumed by the presence of this man. Madi would sometimes look at him strangely when he spoke of Flint, with an upturned lip and knowing eyes. Could he really be that transparent? When did his instinct for survival transform into this?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Silver let the warmth  of Flint's  chest seep into him. The rise and fall of it, his steady heartbeat soothed him. With each breath, he felt the tension of the day sink out of him, replaced by a soft buzzing feeling in his limbs. Slowly, the tightness he hadn't realized he was carrying  in his chest eased, and he breathed low and deep into the crook of his captain's  shoulder. Has it always been this easy? Surely not. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Those calloused fingers rubbing circles over his back with a featherlight touch. He felt as if he were floating. Flint's thumb hits a knot and Silver groans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lie down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Why?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Better angle. We need to find where the tension starts.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver couldn’t say no. Not when his captain was so committed to touching him like this.  He eased himself down on the cot and buried his face in the pillow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll try not to fall asleep.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright if you do,” Flint replies softly, in that tone that he only uses when they are alone. The sound of it brought redness to his cheeks and he was very glad his face was buried. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Warm palms painted a wide swathe over his back as Flint searched for the knot again. He melts under them, almost succumbing once again to the weariness in his bones. And then Flint finds the knot. Nestled neatly in his lower back, just above the hip bone.  He applies a bit of pressure with the heel of his palm, testing the tension. </span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be easier if i have direct contact,” he tugs lightly at Silver’s shirt</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm,”he mumbles back into the pillow, lifting his hips a little to help. Flint lifts the shirt up over Silver’s head and sets it gently aside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This too?” He asks. His voice is slightly husky and barely above a whisper, his fingertips on the edge of Silver’s breeches. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver nods. He feels Flint’s knuckles slide down his sides as he pulls the fabric over his waist, letting them bunch around his thighs. Silver lets out a little gasp as Flint’s hands run along his exposed flesh. Flint’s hands are moist and Silver’s nose detects the scent of lantern oil from the one he kept by his bedside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He finds the knot again and presses his palm to it, dragging the heel up along the length of the muscle, all the way up Silver’s back. Silver’s fists clench in the pillows at the sensation of bone against tense muscle. He focuses all his concentration on not squirming away. After a few passes, he feels his body loosen a little. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Flint works his way down, over the knot and down Silver’ hip, and the pain was sharp. Silver hissed, and Flint gentled his hands. He rubbed them over the area in long strokes, adding a small amount of pressure here and there. Flint’s hands moved along the back of Silver’s thigh, and he felt a tingle all the way down to his foot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aah!” Silver moaned aloud as the knot released. It sent more tingles down the muscle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“One down,” Flint said, and Silver could hear the satisfied smile in his voice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where did you learn how to do this?” Silver asked as Flint smoothed the released tension down to the knee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint’s gaze clouded for a mere second, his mind retreating into memory. “Someone did it for me, a long time ago.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They were an excellent teacher, then.” He tries not to wince as Flint finds another spot of tension from his knee. He presses his thumb lightly into the adjoining muscles, sliding them upwards in slow, even strokes. Curiously, Silver feels a release somewhere in his calf. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Flip over.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s...difficult to say.” He could feel his ears reddening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint clicked his tongue in recognition. “You don’t have to hide from me,” he says. His hands still rested on Silver’s thighs. He squeezes them gently and Silver sucks in a breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He guides Silver to turn over, revealing his erection. He looks away, flushing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, your hands on me...they-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He breathed, awe on his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver simply stares at him, disbelieving. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint crawls up on the bed, so that he is level with Silver, peering into his eyes. He is revealing himself, Silver knows, and he wonders which of the two of them was more exposed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint leans his hip down over Silver, letting Silver feel his own hardness. Silver’s jaw quivers as he takes a shaky breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Flint pulls away, steeling himself. “I understand if this is too much, I want to make you feel good. I know you hide your pain, but I see it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He can feel Flint closing back up. He’s curling in on himself with every second that Silver hesitates with the words caught in his throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His fingertips find Flint’s wrist before the words find the air. “Please,” he gasps. He hates how jagged his voice sounds. “Please touch me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His captain’s eyes are fragile when they look back to him. The brilliant, uneven green of his irises catch the light from the moon as he slowly unfurls himself once more. Silver knows what a gift it is to witness this, to be party to a secret softness in Flint that has not been allowed into the light. Not here. Silver alone has unlocked this door. He feels the weight of it in his chest, and wants to give back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “I need this,” He allows himself to parse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I need you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Only Flint can hear these words from him. He knows the need goes both ways. It is understood that this is how it goes between them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint’s gaze moves over him like a caress. There is hunger there, Silver feels it all the way in his bones. He sighs into it, letting Flint invade his space. Letting their mouths meet in a haze of overdue longing. The taste of Flint, the scent of him, seeps into Silver like a fog rolling into a secluded bay, clinging just above the surface and clouding his vision. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Flint breaks the kiss, he looks upon Silver in a way that nearly cleaves him in two. It’s nearly tangible, the flame in Flint’s eyes, and so gentle. No one has</span>
  <em>
    <span> ever…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thoughts lose their grip on him as Flint devours him again, his hands sinking into Silver’s hair. Flint’s fully clothed body presses to Silver’s bare one, the linen cool and soft on his skin. Heat coils in his belly and his back arches on its own, jutting his hips up to meet Flint’s. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint’s hands glide over Silver’s arms and up to his wrists, pulling them above his head. He presses them into the pillows and whispers “stay,” in Silver’s ear. The sound reverberates through him, sending a shudder all the way down to his toes. He nods. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint releases his wrists, dragging his fingers down the limbs as he scoots back off of Silver. He stops, breathless, to drink in the sight of him. He knew he would kill for this man before. But now he knows that he would die for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver sighs, willing his hips to still as he lies on his back with Flint running his fingers over his skin lightly, barely touching, in wide arcs over every surface. He knows Flint has barely touched him yet, but his body is aching with need, sensitive to the barest hint of a touch. Deft hands gently touch the cleft of his collarbone, down his chest, circling a nipple, back up along his arms. Silver lays his head back, gasping, eyes closed on the sensation. Every once in a while Flint places a small kiss where his hands have been.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Flint moves lower, Silver begins to strain against his own squirming. Flint’s fingertips brush his sides, and he can feel the drip of his precome leaking onto his stomach, feels the shift of the air as Flint’s shirt just barely misses contact with his throbbing cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, look at you,” Flint breathes, as if he couldn’t believe he was real. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Flint's fingers trace the lines in his hips, teasing around his arousal and Silver moans deep in his throat.  He wants Flint to take him already, but he also relishes this slow torturous touch. He sinks into it, knowing that he trusts Flint touching his body as much as he trusts him with his life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint moves lower, tracing a taut thigh muscle, back up again and down over the other, just grazing the edge of the stump. He looks up at Silver's face to check for pain, and instead finds him dazed and relaxed. Flint smirks, then continues. He places a kiss on Silver’s knee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He drags his beard up Silver’s thigh, making him shiver. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this okay?” He says, nuzzling the soft curls of his groin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Silver says breathlessly. Flint places a kiss on the base of his cock, and Silver gasps. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to take advantage--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, don’t fucking stop,” Silver using his lower register, a sound that Flint could swear he felt in his bones.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He licks his lips and presses another kiss along Silver’s length, feeling it twitch under his lips. His hands slide from Silver’s hips to his ass, kneading the soft flesh, spreading his cheeks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver grips his own wrist to keep his hands in position, writhing, his lip caught between his teeth. He gasps as Flint drags a wet thumb over his opening, blowing a puff of air over the tip of his cock, eliciting a gutteral “fuck,” from Silver’s throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Flint takes him into his mouth. The warm, wet cavern of Flint’s mouth engulfed him, and Silver was lost to it. He was already so sensitive to touch, he could come just from this. Flint’s tongue laved at him expertly, wringing pleasure from the deepest depths of his psyche. He hollowed his cheeks, taking Silver further into his throat and humming softly, letting the vibrations shake Silver to the core. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver let out a low whining moan, and Flint came up for breath, gasping and pleased with himself. Flint was proud of his skill, and revelled in the way he could reduce Silver to nothing but exquisite pleasure.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He ran his fingers up Silver’s shaft, gathering the wetness there before sinking his mouth down on him again. With his slick fingers he stroked Silver’s hole, petting the sensitive skin there while Silver bucked helplessly into his throat. Goosebumps blossomed over Silver’s skin and he pressed himself into Flint’s finger hungrily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Flint looks up, his eyes watering from the pressure in his throat, he’s captivated by the glistening sheen of sweat that graces Silver’s beautifully tanned skin. The flush of his exposed neck as he presses his head to the pillow, arms grasping the mattress behind his head to keep them from moving to touch Flint. He looks so goddamned gorgeous Flint wants to burn the image into his eyelids.  He loves the way Silver responds to his touch, the sounds he makes. His cock pulses with every moan and whine from Silver, but he can wait. He wants to make Silver feel good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He eases off Silver’s cock just long enough to catch his breath, holding the tip languidly in his mouth. He presses the slick tip of his finger into Silver, breaching him, watching Silver’s eyes shoot wide at the intrusion. He lets his finger glide in slowly, drinking in the low groan Silver makes as he pushes in and sucks at the head of his cock at the same time.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver is panting raggedly now, gone to the world and anything but Flint. Flint drags his finger out and thrusts back in, taking his time, drawing long draughts from his cock. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Flint</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Silver’s voice is weak and shaking. He can feel Silver’s body start to shake, he knows he is close. He presses in a second finger, picking up speed, Silver’s hips rocking in between  the two sensations wildly. </span>
  <em>That's it, darling. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god, James!” Silver yells as Flint’s fingers curl in on that sweet spot, sending electricity down Silver’s spine and his toes are curling, stars burst behind his eyes. Flint rubs it gently and Silver is coming down his throat, clenching on his fingers, gasping his name as if it’s the only word he knows. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flint swallows him down, licking his lips and tasting Silver on his tongue. He rubs his hands over Silver’s body as he comes down, body going limp, shuddering through the aftershocks. He crawls up the bed, curling up next to Silver’s sated body, pressing a kiss to his temple. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silver closes his eyes, and it takes a moment for Flint to see the wetness flowing from them, mingling with the sweat and hair that clung to the sides of his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “Hey,” he says softly, cupping the sides of Silver’s face, cutting through the line of tears with his thumbs. “Are you alright?” The question seems obvious but necessary. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I hurt you? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m wonderful. You made me feel so good. And that’s it, isn’t it?” Silver opens his eyes to stare directly into Flint’s. His expression was raw, almost childlike in it’s sincerity. He felt like he was finally seeing a glimpse of the real Silver. “I've never been touched like that before. Like it means something.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes were searching, pleading. He needed that confirmation that what he felt was real. Like it did in fact matter. It sent a pang of longing through him. He recalled those harsh words he had spoken to Silver all those weeks ago, and he hated the way the effect of them was so plain on Silver’s face now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where else would you matter?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He marveled at how strange the man who had uttered those words was to him now. The man he had allowed himself to be. And how wholly different the two of them had become because of knowing each other. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Strange pairs, Lieutenant.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” another voice echoed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without Silver in it. The man had become as much a part of him as the persona of Captain Flint. He wanted to wrap himself around Silver like a coat of armor. To burrow under his skin for the winter and never surface.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He presses a soft kiss to Silver’s forehead “Yes,” he says, gathering Silver into his arms. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You mean everything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Silver sighs into him, resting his head over Flint’s heart. His eyes begin to droop closed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time since he lost his leg, he wakes from sleep feeling refreshed. The sky is light and clear behind the curtains lifted by a light breeze. It carries the heat from their skin up and out, caressing them with tendrils of cool air. It teases the copper curls of Flint’s chest and arms, tugs lightly at Silver’s coils. In the distance, a lonely bird caws in the jungle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>These things shouldn’t bring such joy to Silver’s heart, in this place, with the danger so real and ready to burst through their doors,  but it nestles down in his chest and stays there. </span>
</p>
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